Each academic year WLC recognizes the work of its outstanding majors and minors through departmental awards and financial scholarships. Read about one of our 2013 scholarship winners, Kelly Zieser (senior studying Spanish and Secondary Education with endorsements in English as a second language and coaching), who was awarded the competitive Ronald A. Schubert Scholarship. This award is given annually from a fund established by Ronald A. Schubert, an alumnus of Iowa State’s Department of World Languages and Cultures. The scholarship is awarded to a student from a rural Iowa background who is majoring in German or Spanish.
I am thankful for the scholarship money awarded to me through the World Languages and Culture department. I started my journey here at Iowa State studying biological systems engineering with a minor in Spanish. I decided to study abroad my sophomore year and spent my spring semester studying in Valencia, Spain. It was then that I discovered my true passion for the Spanish language. I decided to change my major, so that I could learn more Spanish as well as learn about the cultures of the Spanish speaking countries. I added on the secondary education, so that I can educate our youth and spark their interest in foreign languages and cultures.
The scholarship money I have been awarded has helped lighten my financial burden of the cost of tuition, textbooks, my study abroad experience, and fees associated with my practicum experiences. I had been interested in receiving my endorsement for English as a second language since starting my studies in education. I think that it is a great opportunity to meet kids from all over the world and learn about their language and culture while teaching them about ours. However, due to my change in major a little later in my college experience, I was worried about the financial strain of attending an extra year of college. Being awarded this scholarship has allowed me to be more relaxed financially about my decision to attend an extra year of school to obtain this endorsement. I have also been able to work less during the semester allowing me to focus more on my studies. This scholarship money has been extremely beneficial financially and is greatly appreciated. Thank you to the WLC scholarship committee, as well as the donors who help make these scholarships possible.